American Big-Game Hunting 



extra bronco I had bought, filled my pouch 

 with a good supply of jerked bear-meat, and 

 calling two of the dogs, — Kentuck, a grey- 

 hound, and Maida, a deerhound, — I struck 

 out just as the sun was peeping over the hills. 

 I decided to go to the foot-hills in the direc- 

 tion of Buffalo Gap, in the hope of finding ante- ■ 

 lope in some of the valleys. Noon found me 

 near Point of Rocks and still tramping, "Cof- 

 fee" trailing leisurely along, at times drop- 

 ping entirely out of sight while looking for 

 unburned grass, then whinnying and scam- 

 pering after me full tilt, like a boy just out 

 from school. I had seen several deer and a 

 couple of sheep, but none within range. 



Here I came upon some cottontail rabbits, 

 the first and only ones I ever saw in that part 

 of the country. They were not frightened 

 by my presence, evidently never having been 

 disturbed by man. I tried a shot at one very 

 near me, and as I was using 107 grains of 

 powder, entirely overshot him. Although 

 the smoke of the gun reached him, he did not 

 budge an inch; a second shot literally scat- 

 tered him to the winds. The dogs, returning 

 at this point, quickly despatched several. 



78 



